The Misson Valley Athletic League (MVAL) tipped off the first and second rounds of the North Coast Section (NCS) basketball tournament last weak. Here's how they fared:

American High Eagles (21-9, 9-3): The Lady Eagles would have their wings clipped by Berkeley on Friday, Feb. 27, 77-24. In a previous interview, American Coach Candice Craddock mentioned "I have good players on my bench who would be getting minutes on other teams." Those good players that were on the American bench would certainly be needed to be called up next season. But this season, American was able to have three players on the All-League MVAL team: Tempest Early, Catlin Magat and Stephanie Chukuwu.

James Logan (16-13 9-3): The Colts kicked the week's playoffs off in dramatic form. Led by All-League selections Michaela Booker and Erin Jones, the Colts had to crawl their way into a 52-50 overtime victory over California in San Ramon. The gritty girls from Union City found themselves in a back-and-forth battle for most of the game.

The Colts did not have much to celebrate in their next context on Friday night when they got trampled, 60-25. James Logan Coach Frank Borghi is very optimistic about his teams future. His team will lose only one key senior in Michaela Booker. Despite Booker's contributions to the Colts, Borghi is hopeful for his sophomore- and junior-dominated team. "We believe we can play with the best. The experience is great. It's nice to get a victory in the North Coast playoffs. The younger players are really looking forward to next season," Borghi said.

Mission San Jose (16-14, 6-6): They played like a team on a mission during their NCS first-round game. The brilliant fourth-place MVAL team entered the contest against San Ramon Valley hoping to break its two-game losing streak, but the Mission San Jose Warriors would lose their battle, 46-40. Even though the Warriors did suffer a close loss to San Ramon Valley, they managed to have two of their top players earn All-League accolades: Misha Yalavarthy and Keila May.

Newark Memorial (20-9, 11-4): There is no question why Newark Memorial is the #1 team in girls basketball in the Tri-City. Ranked among the NCS best, the Cougars build a strong team with All-MVAL selections Danielle Robedo, Chaunise Powell, Lauren Ortiz and Kesley Pease. They put up a great fight in their battle with Granada, but like all great things, they must come to an end. They came up short, 54-44. It was a battle in the first half. Newark had a slight 27-25 advantage over Granada at the half. Not to be denied, Granada would cut loose of the Cougars hold and score 22 points in the fourth quarter. Many Cougar fans are disappointed in the season-ending loss, but they should not be too worried as the Lady Cougars' top player, Powell, is only a junior.